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Sep 14, 2011

Mila rated it:

I miss the Sarah Dessen who wrote This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever. What happened?

18 comments like (66 people liked it)

May 27, 2011

Melannie :) rated it:

OHMYGOSH, *squeals*

seriously can't wait anymore,
I have been waiting for a new book by her since, what was it? 2009? I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER

I want to read this book NOW *cries*

LOVE SARAH DESSEN.

COVER IS AWESOME.

2 comments like (43 people liked it)

Jul 05, 2011

Bareerah rated it:

Yes! Finally! Does anyone NOT love Sarah Dessen?

6 comments like (28 people liked it)

May 10, 2011

Nomes rated it:

What Happened to Goodbye has no huge inciting incident or great source of tension. Instead the book quietly unfolds in layers: each time Dessen revisits a scene/sub-plot, she goes just a little bit further than the previous time ~ giving more depth and insight into her characters lives, relationships and what makes them the way they are. Ad infintum and you reach the resolution: where Dessen has begun with isolated characters she ends with a motley group of friends who have bonded and each come More...

42 comments like (67 people liked it)

May 26, 2011

Vinaya rated it:

I ♥ Sarah Dessen. That is all.

Okay, I lie. That is NOT all. How could I use only six words when the possibility of six hundred exists? My lawyer genes would go into revolt!

I really, really liked What Happened to Goodbye. In fact, it just might rank up there with my other Dessen favourites, Just Listen and The Truth about Forever.

Generally, I tend to like Dessen heroes better than Dessen heroines. It was Owen and Wes who really lit up Just Listen and The Truth More...

13 comments like (26 people liked it)

May 17, 2011

~Yue~ [Starless Nights Will Cover Day] rated it:

OHMIGAWSH. *SQUEEEEEE* 8D Lol ;)
I. CAN'T. FREAKING. WAIT!!! Sarah Dessen rocks my socks! :D AHHHHHHH!!! XD

UPDATE: THE COVER LOOKS AMAZING!!!!!! XD

AS OF NOW, THE BOOK IS OUT.:D IT'S WAITING FOR ME AT THE LIBRARY. MUST. GO. NOW.

***REVIEW***

Another awesome love story from the wonderful Sarah Dessen. She never ceases to amaze me.:) This wasn't my favorite, but I loved it anyhow. I was reading it all of first through third period. Tsk tsk, I know. Shame o More...

2 comments like (14 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Cara rated it:

Does Sarah Dessen still have the awesome stuff? Oh yeah. No doubt or question about it.

This time around we're gonna get to follow the story of a girl named Mclean. She comes from parents that go through a tabloid worthy divorce. Going against the norm Mclean decides to stay with her dad, and up to this point has been through four moves with him. Four different girls for each move. But this fourth move is going to be distinctly different because for the first time in long while she i More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 09, 2011

Ash rated it:

Great, now I have to wait another billions years (okay, probably more like 2) for another Sarah Dessen book. Get cracking Dessen! Really though, the reason why so many people love her books are because she just gets it. She deals with problems that not only teenagers but anyone can relate to in some way.

Quick Overview: Another move for Mclean just means another persona. After her parents’ divorce Mclean and her father move around as he works as a restaurant consultant. Two years and More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 24, 2011

Haley rated it:

I love Sarah Dessen and basically every book I've ever read by her was amazing, but What Happened to Goodbye was a dissapointment.

- I never really got into Mclean like I have the other main characters. When reading a book, you tend to care about the character and take an interest in them, but Mclean just didn't interest me. Characters that I did care about, for example, were Auden in Along for the Ride, Annabel in Just Listen, & Ruby in Lock and Key.

- Usually in every Sa More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2011

Laura rated it:

This doesn't need a lot of selling, because by now Sarah Dessen has a dedicated following and a recognizable formula: girl with some problem falls in love and resolves the problem by the end. What moved this from a 3 to a 4 for me was one scene directly out of Chas. Addams (you'll know it when you read it). Honestly, I never thought that I'd giggle over a Sarah Dessen book, but that one scene? Giggleable.

Maclean - or Liz, Beth, Lizbeth or Eliza - is the product of a Broken Marriage. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2011

Amelia rated it:

Originally posted on The Authoress: Book Review and More.

So after having read nine of her previous novels, I may bit a bit biased but I really love Sarah Dessen’s new book. If you haven’t read any Sarah Dessen books before (I pray for your deprived soul), then this review is mostly for you. But if you’re a long time running fan of Sarah Dessen, then all you have to know is that this book doesn’t disappoint. In fact, you should already know that cause you should have already bou More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 17, 2011

Janina rated it:

I finished this book yesterday afternoon when I was sitting in the waitingroom at my doctor's office and really had nothing else to do ... which probably says enough.

Seriously, I consider myself a Sarah Dessen fan. I have read almost all of her books and enjoyed the majority of them – to various degrees. What Happened To Goodbye, however, was a huge disappointment for me. The beginning was great, the whole set-up, the restaurant setting, but then ... the whole thing just fizzled out ar More...

11 comments like (19 people liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

Valerie rated it:

It was excellent, it's just that there was no full circle feeling that I usually get with Dessen. Maybe I just wanted the mom to explain herself. I still I want to know why. You can kind of get hints at why but I really wanted to hear it from McLean’s mom instead of just assume.

As always the secondary characters where good but I didn’t get as attached to them as usual. I could get a feel for the atmosphere of Luna Blue and McLean’s home but not so much with the weather and school. I More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 16, 2011

Arlene rated it:

Must read for Sarah Dessen fans.

My deep like for What Happened to Goodbye comes down to one thing... the protag McLean Sweet. I liked her for lots of reasons and not just because I can relate to her determination to not look down until she identifies a constellation or two when looking up at a starry sky, or because like McLean I’ve never been one to just put myself out there on day one. Also it’s not just because we both have a name you’ve got to live up it, yeah some days it’s not More...

15 comments like (13 people liked it)

May 26, 2011

Shelley rated it:

Ok, this is probably unfair to only give it 3 stars. We need HALVES. I read it immediately following Dessen's The Truth About Forever, which I loved. And can't wait for her to sign my copy in a couple of weeks. Ok back to the book. What I really liked about this story was the humor. I listened to it on audio and found myself snorting or laughing out loud a lot. It was a pleasant surprise. l also liked that McLean is not as passive as some of Dessen's characters--she is really pissed at her mom a More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 15, 2011

Brianne rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

3 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2010

Mary marked it as to-read

Finally! I've been waiting for her to write a new book since along for the ride came out!!

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

laaaaames rated it:

Things Sarah Dessen loves: fried pickles

Things Sarah Dessen hates: NPR-listenin', seitan-eatin' liberals

Actually this book was pretty much a snoozefest, which is sad because just the way I watch Aaron Sorkin's later stuff I read Dessen's books thinking I might get riled up. I will give major props for the awesome Deb, and I liked Dave a lot too.

Oh, yeah, and anyone who's ever run a restaurant will tell you that the free items you give out to customers as they' More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2011

Anna rated it:

This is one great book, I swear. I love Mclean Sweet so much. She's not that bitchy, brat, selfish kind that a usual character be when dealing with a divorce. She's well, sweet and kind. ☺ I usually end up reading a Sarah Dessen book for about 2 days because it's usually long but clearly I just finished it for a day. Gosh, I really cannot tell how awesome this book is. I don't even know why I doesn't have much of a rate. But for me, definite 5 star.

I really love the characters how ev More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 09, 2011

Nic rated it:

Quite enjoyed this. Per usual, the writing and the crazy setups (e.g. Mclean's family and the whole basketball situaion, the interesting jobs people have) are the highlights for me; I don't think I've read a single Sarah Dessen book with an ending that was as happy as I'd like. Hopeful, sure, but I like my endings coated with frosting and rainbows and kittens, not merely upbeat realism. Especially when I'm reading something that is nominally a romance. (I do feel, though, that part of Dessen More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 31, 2011

Jessica rated it:

After waiting two years for the release of Whatever Happened to Goodbye, I was very disappointed with it.
Technically speaking, the book should have been very good. It was written in Dessen’s traditional writing voice, which is very lyrical. It also showcased her enviable ability to effortlessly blend back story and present tense. The novel was well paced, had an angsty girl and cute guy, and also had the tiny homage’s that Dessen includes in most of her novels.

What the story la More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 05, 2011

Chelsea rated it:

Sarah Dessen is an amazing author who never lets me down, and she succeeded in writing another great book. She writes about girls in different situations that makes their life not perfect, but these girls usually get to experience the ultimate love story and realize that whatever is going on in their lives will get better.-

McClean lives with her dad who works for a business which requires them to move all over the world in order to fix up restuarants that are in need of help. In ju More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 27, 2011

Lexi (The Literature Lion) rated it:

A NEW FAVORITE.

Full Review: link coming soon.

Much like in many of her other novels, Sarah Dessen delivers a plot so original and characters that fit perfectly into the story line. With raw emotion and amazing writing, this has to be one of her best novels yet!

McLean Elizabeth Sweet is making an attempt at a new life, every time her father moves for his job as a restaurant manager. She adapts a new life with each move, but this time around she's forced to be Mc More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 09, 2011

Holly rated it:

When posed with the question of favourite authors, the one and only name that pops into mind has always been (and I hope will always be) Sarah Dessen so it is without doubt that I lead a raving review from this point onwards.

With a name like McLean, you'd be forgiven for thinking of our protagonist as a renowned basketball player instead this theme plays only a slight role in What Happened to Goodbye alongside a few other quirky backdrops such as scale model building, the hospitality i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

Kaethe rated it:

Dessen mines the same territory, but she keeps pulling up gems, so that's all right. There's a girl, a senior in high school. While her life is mostly just fine, there's a problem that needs work. There's a guy, and several gals, and the heroine gets really engaged in the life of these people, discovering good friends and a romance along the way. The charm of a Dessen book is that we don't just fall vicariously in love with a guy, we fall for the whole group. Everyone is richly fleshed out, reve More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 22, 2011

Miranda rated it:

Thanks to Diane, I have the advanced copy of What Happened to Goodbye. I am so excited!!!!! Thanks Diane! I finally made time to read this book! It was very good!

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2012

BAYA rated it:

High school senior Mclean Sweet has moved four times since her parents divorced; she’s following her restaurateur father because she's on the outs with her mom. Mclean wants to leave her old life behind, and in each new town she changes her persona and avoids close relationships, until she lands in Lakeview. There she stumbles into being herself and begins to make real friends and perhaps find love. The only remaining question: will she be able to stay?

You know you are going to buy thi More...

0 comments like

Feb 01, 2012

Julie rated it:

Sarah Dessen was one of my favorite teen authors until I realized that she was using the same formula: beautiful teen girl from a broken home who has a wacky older sister and a fringe dwelling boyfriend and she has a tortured relationship with everybody and it usually seemed to involve the sister getting married. That got stale. I saw her speak at a book festival recently and she was hilarious. Kind of like a PG-13 Chelsea Handler. So I gave her new book a whirl. At base it still has a beautifu More...

0 comments like

Jan 03, 2012

Will Grayson ; Will Grayson rated it:

I was kind of disappointed with this book. Sarah Dessen is my favorite author, and all the 5 other books I've read by her I LOVED like, L-O-V-E-D. But I felt it was missing something, like it was incomplete.

I'm not saying it was bad, either. I loved the whole moving/restaurant/basketball thing, but I felt the changing personalities kind of...fake? I've moved a lot myself and everytime I'd try to be a different person, a better one and a more caring one, but I'd just end up back to m More...

0 comments like

Dec 29, 2011

Christina (Reading Thru The Night) rated it:

The Short of It
Move; start over; become someone new.

The Long of It
McClean has been many people since her parents divorced, but never McClean. You see she was named after a famous ball star from a team her father was obsessed with. And then, her mom left her dad to marry the coach of the famous team. Obviously, things would never be the same. McClean’s dad left his position as Chef and goes to various restaurants throughout the country fixing them up. Think of that sho More...

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